Machine for making sheet-metal chains



(No Model.)

8 Sheet s-Sheet 1. R. A. BREUL.

MACHINE FOR MAKING SHEET METAL CHAINS. N0. 368,275.

Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

1449755555. 7 l7 \/E /a/'- N. PETERS, PhoXo-Lnhogmphcr, Waihingmn ac.

(No Model.) 8 SheetsSheet 2.

R. A. BREUL.

MAGHINE EOE MAKING SHEET METAL CHAINS.

N0. 368,275. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

JQQ/M N. PETERS. PhulO-blhogrnphu, Washington. u L,

(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Sheet 3. R. A. BREUL.

MACHINE FOR MAKING SHEET METAL CHAINS.

.No. 368,275. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Sheet 4.

R. A. BREUL.

MACHINE FOR MAKING SHEET METAL CHAINS. No. 368,275. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

(No Model.) 8 eeeeeeeeeeee 5.

R. A. BREUL.

MAUHINE FOR MAKING SHEET METAL CHAINS. N0. 368,2 '7 5 Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

Ir a II 343/ w l 8 Sheets-Sheet 7.

(No Model.)

No. 368,275. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

N. PETERS, Plimo-Lnhogrzphur. wish-" mm n. c.

(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Shet s.

R. A. BREUL.

MACHINE FOR MAKING SHEET METAL CHAINS. No. 368,275. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

, Pz fii Zfi- 2 i M 52 Z. I Z 2 UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

RICHARD A. BREUL, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR MAKING SHEET-METAL CHAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,275, dated August 16, 1887.

Application filed December 16, 1386. Serial No. 221,75.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD A. BREUL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Sheet-Metal Chains; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the manufacture of chain from sheet-metal blanks, and has for its object to produce a novel method of and machine for manufacturing chain of this class from fiat blanks struck out from sheet metal. \Vith these ends in view I have de vised the novel construction and mode of operation which I will now describe, referring by numbers to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine complete; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section on the line 00 x in Fig. Fig. 4, an enlarged plan view of the bed and operating mechanism, illustrating the first step in the formation of a link, a blank having just passed to the link-forming mechanism; Fig. 5, a transverse section on the line 31 in Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a plan view corresponding,substantially, with Fig. 4, illustrating the action of the dies in the shaping of a blank; Fig. 7, a longitudinal section on the line 22 in Fig. 6; Fig. 8, a plan view showing the shaped blank in position for bending; Fig. 8, a detail sectional view of the formers on the line 8 s in Fig. 10, illustrating the manner in which the link is held while the mandrel is being withdrawn; Fig. 9, a transverse section on the line at m in Fig. 8; Fig. 10, a plan view showing the mechanism in position to commence the operation of doubling the previously-shaped blank back upon itself; Fig. 10, a detail plan view, the bracket being removed, illustrating the construction of the formers and the manner in which the completed link is set or contracted in passing through; Fig. 11, a transverse section on the line 0 o in Fig. 10; Fig. 12, an enlarged detail sectional view on the line :10 x in Fig. 2, illustrating automatic mechanism for stopping the machine in the event of an obstruction occurring from an im- (No model.)

perfect blank; Fig. 13, a sectional detail view on the line q gin Fig. 12; Fig. 14, a-dctail view corresponding substantially with Fig. 12, the parts being in elevation, and the View illustrating the manner in which the machine is stopped when the blanks are nearly exhausted; Fig. 15, a detail sectional view on the line 1) p in Fig. 10, illustrating a device operated by hand to expel imperfect blanks; Fig. 16, a detailview illustrating the taper in the mandrel over which the links are doubled; Fig. 17, a plan view of one of the flat blanks as they are fed from the guide-block. Figs. 18 and 19 are views of blanks partially bent in the operation of forming the links, the difference in shape being due to a different formation and arrangement of the dies; and Fig. 20 is an edge view of a single completely-formed link.

Similar numbers denotes the same parts in all the figures.

1 denotes the bed of the machine, and 2 a guide-block through which the flat blanks 3 are fed to the operating mechanism. The shape of the blanks is clearly illustrated in Fig. 17, and also incidentally in other figures. These blanks are struck out from sheet metal in the ordinary manner, 8indicating the eyes, and 3 the shank of each link.

A press of the ordinary or any preferred construction may be arranged to operate in connection with the machine, the blanks as they fall from the die threading themselves continuously by means of the eyes upon wires 4, and being carried by gravity to guide-block 2, or they may be received from the die on parallel wires connected at one end, which when filled are placed in the machine,as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 12. The blanks, being loose on the wires,feed by gravity alone. These wires may be made to hold any number of blanks, and as soon as the blanks are exhausted the wires may be taken out and other wires carrying blanks placed in the guideblock.

As the press forms no portion of my present invention, no further reference will. be made thereto, it being simply necessary for the purposes of my present invention that blanks be supplied at the guide-block in such quantities as may be required by the machine. The

blanks feed downward through the guideblock by gravity, as is clearly. shown in Figs.

1-2 and 15, guide-rods 4 beingprovided,which is imparted to this slide in any suitable man- .10 ner.

In the present instance I have shown all the movements of the machine as imparted from four cam-grooves in disks 8 and 9 on shaft 10. It will of course be understood, however, that these motions may be imparted v in any suitable or convenient manner.

11 is a cam-groove in the outer face of disk 8, which is engaged by a roller upon one arm of bell-crank lever 12. The other end of this lever engages a block, 13, upon the inner end 20 of slide 7, and impa'rts'the necessary motions to said slide. Suppose the operating parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 2that, is, the position in which the. last link has been perfectly formed, the shaped blank having 2 5 been moved from a horizontal'toa vertical position and doubled on itself so that the eyes registerwith each other, the rear end of the link still. projecting out from between the formers 14. The plunger now moves forward,

as it is shown as doing in Fig. 12, and carries the lowest link in the guide-block out therefrom and passes it through the eyes of the completely-formed link. The position of the blank for the new link at this instant is clearly shown in Fig. 4, the blank still lying flat in front of the formers, ready to be acted upon by the dies. As the blanks are forced out from the,block,their forward ends come in contact with a guide, 15, having a lip, 15, which 0 acts as a stop and insures that each blank shall 5o drel and formers.

be received and retained in proper position for the next operation.

16 denotes the under die, which is carried by a block, 17 reciprocating in ways 18.

19 denotes the upper die, which, in connection with the lower die, performs the first operation in the formation of each linkthat is, the shaping of the blank preparatory to its being doubled back upon itself by the man- It will of course be apparent that both of these dies may be operated in any ordinary or preferred manner.

In the present instanceIhave shown alever, 20, pivoted upon a block, 21, the forward end of which engages block 17, which carries the under die. .The rear end of this lever is provided with a cam, 22.

' 23 is a bell crank lever pivoted between ears 24. The upper arm, 23, of this lever carries no the upper die,which is secured in position by set-screw 25, and is adjusted by screws 26. The lower arm, .23", of bell-crank lever 23, is provided with a roller, which engages a camgroove, 27, in the inner face of disk 8,whereby vibratory motion is imparted to the upper arm.

28 is .a cam-surface upon arm 23*, which en- 7 gages cam 22 on lever 20, causing the latter tov carry block 17 and the under dieforward each time arm-23, carrying the upper die, descends.

33 is a stump projecting upward from the bed-plate against which the opposite side of arm 23 bears as the cam-surface acts upon cam 22. The purpose of this stump is to prevent the possibility of arm 23 springing when the machine is runningata high rate of speed. The return movement of-block 17 and the underdie is insured bya spring, 29, which acts toreturn said parts to their retracted position as soon as cam 22 isreleased by the upward movement of arm 23.

It willbe seen that the form and arrangement i of the parts is such as to cause the lower die to reach its operative position before the upper die closes uponit. Asthelower die moves forward, it passes under the blank, lifting it slightly, a finger, 30, carried by die-block 17, passing over the blank to prevent its being thrown into a false position. It will be seen in Fig. 7 that the, upper die is provided with a slot, 31 into which finger 30 passes as the die closes down uponablank. -I n theprcsent instance Ihave shown the lower die as consisting of two upwardly-rounded parts, 16.

'(See Figs. 4 and 7.) i The effect of the closing together of the dies is to form the blank to the shape shown in Fig. 18 and also in Fig. 7. It will be seen that the curves 32 in the partlyformed blanks are the exact distance apart necessary to form the outward curves of the forward end of the link, (see Figs. 18,19, and 20,) the special object of this constructionbeing to so shape the shank of the blankthat when it is doubled upon itself, and the eyes are brought in line with each other, noswaging or further operation shall be required to shape the loop of the link, as will be again referred to. It is not, however, necessary that the bend between curves 32 (shown in Fig. 18) shall be made in the shank, that being merely an incident of construction of the present machine, and being impossible to avoid in this machine without grooving out the bed of the machine, which is not desirable. By simply inverting the dies, however, making of course the necessary change in the form of the dies, the necessityfor .the slight curve inthe middle of the shank may be avoided and the blank may be bent to the form shown in Fig. 19 without the necessity of grooving, out theybcd of the Ina-V illustrate the inversion of the dies. .The.po-.

sition of the parts beforeithe upper die has descended is clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the position after the die hasdesceuded is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. ,The next movements that take place are the return movements of the upper and lower dies, which take place quickly. At this instant the completed link begins to move forward, its first action being to turn the shaped blank -up edgewise and draw it up against the formers 14, the position of the parts at this instant being clearly shownin Figs. Sand 9.. It will be noticed in Figs. 8 and 10 that the front outlines of the formers correspond with the outline of blanks as shaped by the dies, so that the blank is held firmly against them.

14 denotes teats or projections at the tops of the formers under which the blanks are drawn, and which locate them centrally by engagement with the inclines of the blanks, so that the center of each blank is engaged by the mandrel, and when it is doubled by the formers the eyes register perfectly. At this instant a mandrel, 34, is passsed up back of the blank, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. It will be observed that the front side of this mandrel is provided with a groove, 35, in which the rear end of the last completed link lies as it moves forward. (See Fig. 5.) This groove is made sufficiently large, so that when the mandrel rises it passes freely over the end of the link which it incloscs. As will be seenin Fig. 16, the upper end of the mandrel is slightly reduced in diameter, the purpose of which will presently be explained. In Figs. 10 and 11 the mandrel is shown as at the extreme of its upward movement, a portion of its greatest diameter lying back of a shaped blank. The mandrel now begins to move straight forward and carries the shaped blank with it between the inclined grooves 36 of the formers, the action of which-is to bend the blank around the mandrel, doubling it back upon itself, so that the two eyes register with each other. (See Figs. 8 and 10".) The curves 32 in the blank are by this operation bent backward toward each other and form the loop of the completed link, and the ends of the blank in which the eyes are formed are caused to lie perfectly parallel, as shown in Fig. 20, and also in Fig. 4. At this instant the mandrel is stationary, and plunger 5 moves forward and passes another flat blank through the eyes of the link just formed, the position of the parts at this instant being clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The dies then close upon the new blank to shape it, and at the same instant the mandrel descends far enough, so that its reduced diameter rests within the loop of the link just formed, the link being held by the grooves in the formers while the mandrel moves downward. The position of the parts at this instant is shown in Fig. 6. These grooves taper inward from front to baekthat is, incline toward each other, as is clearly shown in Fig. 10are just wide enough to receive the loop of the link, and are of slightly less depth than the thickness of the blank. As already stated, the reduced diameter of the mandrel now rests within theloop of thelink. The mandrel next moves forward again and forces the link forward again and through between the inclines of the formers, which, as it moves forward, acts to press the loop of the link inward slightly,thus setting or contraetingthe link, so that there is no possibility of its springing out of place when it passes out from the machine.

This setting of the link is thelast operation performed upon it, and is clearly illustrated in Fig. 10, the link being shown just as it passes out from between the formers. The screws which hold the formers in position pass through slotted openings, (not shown.) and the formers are made adjustable by means of setscrews 41, three of which pass through stumps 42, secured to the bed-plate, and one of them through the guide-block, as is clearly shown in the plan views. As soon as theloop of the link has passed to the extreme end of the grooves in the formers, the mandrel drops down to its lowest position and then moves backward to the extreme of its movement in that direction, ready to pass up behind the blank last acted on by the dies, these movements being continuously repeated. It will, ofcourse, be understood that the mechanism for producing these movements might be varied to an almost unlimited extent without departing from the spirit of my invention, the gist of this portion of which lies in shaping the blank in dies, so that when the blank is closed about the mandrel by the formers no additional swaging operation is required to form theloop of the link and prevent it from springing out of proper shape. 7

I will now proceed to describe more specifically the mechanism which I have illustrated for carrying out this portion of my invention. The ways in which block 17, carrying the under die, reciprocates may of course be made in the bed of the machine. In the presentinstance, however, I have shown these ways as formed in a block, 37, which is firmly secured to the bed of the machine. The formers, also, are secured to this block. 38 isa verticalslot through this block, through which the mandrel passes and in which it moves forward in the act of forming each link.

39 is a slide which reciprocates in ways 40 in the bed of the machine. The forward and backward movements of the mandrel areproduced by-this slide, an opening, 43, being provided in the slide, which holds the mandrel horizontally, but at the same time allows it to move freely up and down. The forward and back ward movements of the slide are produced by a lever, 44, pivoted to the bed of the machine. The rear end of this leveris provided with a roller which engages a camgroove, 45, in the periphery of. disk 9. The forward end of this lever engages the slide in any suitable manner. In the present instance it rests between blocks 46 and 47 on said slide. A setscrew, 48, passing through block 46 and engaging the forward end of the lever, may be used to adjust the throw of the slide in the forward movement. The upward and downward movements of the mandrel are produced by means of a bell-crank lever, 49, pivoted to a stump, 50, upon the under side of the bedplate. The lower arm, 49, of this lever is provided with a roller which engages a camgroove, 51, in the inner face of disk 9. The other arm of this lever, 49", projects forward under the bed, its forward end being bifurof the mandrel.

cated, as shown in Figs. 3, 5, and others. A rod, 52, carrying a block, 53, slides freely through openings in the forward ends of the branches of arm 49. The mandrel passes freely through this block and its lower end rests upon a spring, 54, carried by the block. This spring is of course made sufficiently firm to retain the mandrel in its operative position, but is so adjusted as to be readily turned aside to permit the withdrawal of the mandrel, or to yield instead of forcing the mandrel upward with a positive movement, should the machine become clogged by defective blanks or from any other cause, so that no breakage of the parts cantake place. While the forward and backward movements of the mandrel are taking place it remains stationary as regards ver tical movement, the block and rod sliding freely through the branches of arm 49" as the mandrel is carried forward or backward by the slide. As considerable strain necessarily comes upon the mandrel in the act of forming each link, I have provided a-bracket, 55, above the bed-plate, which supports the upper end This bracket is of course attached to slide 39, so as to move positively with it. the bracket as secured to block 47.

56 denotesa slot through the bracket, the

forward end-of which corresponds in shape with the mandrel, givingit firm support, but at the same time allowing it to move freely up and down;

57 denotes a centering-dog, (see Figs. 9 and 11,) which is pivoted in slot 56, just forward of the mandrel when in its raised position. This centering-dog is grooved out upon its under side, so that lips 58 are formed, which are slightly beveled to engage the opposite sides of the link last formed. A spring, 59, acts to hold the centering-dog to its operative position, and a pin, 60, passing through said dog, engages the bracket upon opposite sides of the slot to prevent the dog from dropping down too far. This centering-dog is not an essential feature of my invention, although I pref: erably use it, as it insures that the rear end of each completed link shall be held exactly central at the instant the mandrel rises, so that it is sure to pass within the groove in the mandrel when the latter moves forward. The centering-dog remains in the position shown in Fig. 11 until the slide reaches the extreme of its forward movement. As the slide begins to move backward again, the lips ride up the incline of the rear end of the next link for an instant, and then the dog drops down again, the lips being on opposite sides of the double rear end of the -link-that is, the portion of the link formed by the eyes of the blank-this position being clearly shown in Fig. 11.

61(see Figs. 5 and 9) is an opening through the slide, through which the completed chain passes.

Turning now to Figs. 12, 13, and 14., in connection with Figs. 1, 2, and 3, I will proceed to describe devices for stopping the motion of In the present instance I have shown the machine instantly when the blanks are nearly exhausted, and also in the event of an obstruction to the free operation of the feeding mechanism-as, for example, a blank considerably thicker than the others, or one hav-, ing a heavy burr on its edge. Instead of be ing rigidly secured in block 6, plunger 5 passes through said block and is secured in a slot in a block, 62, which is not attached either to the bed or to' block 6. (See Fig. 3.) The block 62 and the plunger, however, are, held firmly against block 6 by a spring, 63, which yields when the forward movement of the plunger is stopped. In practice I preferably carry spring 63 around upon the inner side of blook'6, (see Fig 310,) to form a cushion, so that block 6 can under no circumstances come violently in contact with guide-block 2.

64 denotes the groove in block 6 in which the plunger slides, and 65 an opening in said block extending-from the top down below the plane of the groove, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 12.

66 is a pin lying loosely in said opening,the lower end of which is provided with an incline, 67, the direction of the incline being upward and forward. 68 (see Fig. 12) is a slot in the plunger, through which this incline passes when the parts are in their normal position, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

69 is a spring secured to block 6,which acts to hold pin 66 down to the position. shown. As the plunger itself is necessarily narrow, slot 68 is made quite narrow, and the inclined base of the pin is narrowed to correspond therewith. The metal at the end of the pin is cut away, leaving a narrow flat-sided incline, as indicated in Fig. 12.

The last-named figure illustrates the operation of the device in the event of a blank becoming clogged in the feed-block-or failing to pass out when the plunger moves forward from any cause whatever. As slide 7 and block 6 must move forward until the machine stops, serious breakage might occur if the movements were all positive. When the forward movement of the plunger is stopped from any cause whatever, incline 67 ,at the lower end of pin 66, rides up the forward end of slot 68, so that the point of the incline rests upon the top of the slide. This raises the pin against the power of spring 69, as shown in Fig. 12.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a fixed pulley, 70, and a loose pulley, 71, upon the driving-shaft. 72 denotes the belt,'(shown as on the fixed pulley,) and 73 arms carried by a shaft, 74:,which lie on opposite sides of the belt. slides in ears 75, which project upward from the bed of the machine. 76 is a collar on said shaft, and 77 a spring,one end of which bears against one of the'ears and the other against the collar, the action of which is to throw the shaft forward, thus shifting the belt from the fixed to the loose pulley and stopping the machine instantly.

78 is a rod carried by shaft 74.,the inner end This shaft.

of which is bent at a right angle and passed through a hole, 79, in a plate, 80, secured to the guide-block. This rod is provided with a square-ended notch (not showh) which engages the plate and holds the belt-shifting mechanism in the position shown in Fig. 2 against the power of spring 77. \Vhen it happens from any cause whatever that pin 66 is thrown up to the position shown in Fig. 12, this pin comes in contact with rod 78, as shown in Fig. 12, and disengagcs the notch in said rod from the hole in plate 80. Spring 77 then acts to throw shaft 74 forward to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thus shifting the belt to the loose pulley. When the parts are in the normal position-that is, as shown in Figs. 3 and -J.-pin 66 passes under rod 7 8 without disengaging the notch from the hole in the plate. When an obstruction takes place, block 6 of course moves forward until the machine is stopped. Block 62 and the plunger,howevcr, remain stationary, as shown in Fig. 12, spring 63 yielding as block 6 moves forward.

81 is a swinging catch pivoted to plate 80, the forward end of which rests loosely against the stack of blanks upon the wires. As soon, however, as the last blank has passed down into the recess 4 in the guideblock, this catch swings forward, and a projection, 83, on the lower end thereof drops down between rod 78 and a pin, 84, on block 6, so that when the slide moves forward pin 84 presses the pro jection against the rod and disengages the notch, as before, so that the machine is instantly stopped. This enables the operator to provide a new supply of blanks before the last one is fed out from the guide-block.

In order that there shall be no trouble in removing thick or imperfect blanks from the guide-block, I have provided a sliding plate, 85, upon which the lowest blank rests and over which the plunger slides. This plate is controlled by a rod, 86, and is held to its normal position by a spring, 87, which rests against the head of the rod. (See Figs. 2, 4, and 15.) The recess 88, in which the plate rests, is sufficiently large to permit of the plate being drawn backward against the power of the spring, so that the lowermost blanks will drop down in front of the plate. As soon as the plate is allowed to spring back to its normal position, it forces the imperfect blank and one or two of those neXt to it forward out of the way, so that they may be readily re moved.

In order that all the features of my improved method and mechanism may be clearly understood, I will briefly describe the operation of the entire machine.

Suppose a link to have been formed, and the rear end thereof to remain projecting baekward from between the formers, a new blank is now pressed out from the guide-block by the plunger and passed through the eyes of the completed link, which has been given a quarter-turn and doubled back upon itself, so that the eyes register with each other. \Vhile the plunger has been acting to pass the new blank through the eyes of the link, the other operative parts of the machine have been stationary. Both dies now begin to move, the lower one passing under the flat blank, and an instant later the upper one closing down upon it to shape the blank. At the instant that the shaping action of the dies takes place the mandrel drops down, so that its smallest diameter rests within the loop of the link last formed. The dies now return to their normal position and the mandrel moves forward, carrying the last link through the forward portion of the inclined grooves in the formers, thereby imparting to the link its final set, and at the same time turning the shaped blank up edgewise. At the instant that the blank is brought up against the formers the mandrel drops down below the link and begins to move backward, the supportingbraeket above the bedplate also moving back with it. As soon as the mandrel has reached its position farthest back, it immediately rises back of the I shaped blank, the other end of the mandrel being supported by the bracket above the bed, and then begins to move forward, bending the blank about the greatest diameter of the mandrel, the formers acting to double it back upon itself so that the eyes register. A new blank is then passed through the eyes and the mandrel descends as before until its smallest diameter rests within the loop of the link last formed and then moves forward again, setting said link by the action of the forward portion of the inclines of the formers, so that said link is prevented from springing, these operations being continuously repeated and the completed chain passing down through the slide which carries the mandrel. As already stated, the motions may be produced in any suitable manner. In the present instance I have shown all the motions as produced by cam grooves in disks upon the drivingshaft. As the laying out of these grooves is a matter within the province of any skilled mechanic, a detailed description of the curves in the grooves which cause the several motions is not deemed necessary.

Any required adjustments in the timing of the machine may be effected by turning the cams slightly upon the drivingshaft. As already described, mechanism is provided for stopping the machine should the feeding mechanism become clogged from any cause whatever, for removing defective blanks, and for stopping the machine when the last blank passes down into the guide-block. Furthermore, I do not desire to limit myself to the exact details of construction of the operating mechanism shown and described, as it is obvious that they may be widely varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim- 1. The improvement in the art of manufac turing chain from sheet-metal blanks having eyes, which consists in passing each blank through the eyes of the last link, then shaping said blank in dies and then doubling it back upon itself so that a perfectlink is formed.

2. The improvement in the art of manufacturing chain from sheet-metal blanks having eyes, which consists in passing each blank through the eyes of the link last formed, then shaping said blank in dies, then partially turning said blank and doubling it back upon itself so that the eyes register with each other and are ready to receive the next blank.

3. The improvement in the art of manufacturing chain from sheet-metal blanks having .eyes, which consists in passing each blank through the eyes of the link last formed, then shaping said blank in dies,'then partially turning said blank and doubling it back upon itself so that the eyes register, then passing the next blank through said eyes, and finally setting the formed link by pressure as it is carried forward.

4. In a machine for making sheetmetal chain, feeding mechanism consisting, essentially, of a guide-block having a recess, 4", through which the blanks pass, wires 4, by which they are guided to it, a plunger for forcing out the blanks singly, and a reciprocating block by which the plunger is carried.

5. The guide-block having a recess, 4", for blanks and a plunger for forcing the blanks out singly, in combination with a block, 6, in which the plunger is loosely held, and block 62, to which the plungeris attached, and which is held against block 6 by a spring carried.

thereby, whereby block 6 is permitted to move forward without the plunger when an obstruction occurs.

6. The guide block having a recess for blanks and a plunger for forcing out the blanks, which is provided with a slot, 68, in combination with a reciprocating block, 6, by which the plunger is loosely held, a pin, 66, in said block, having-an incline which engages said slot in the operative position, but rises out and rests upon the plunger when an obstruc tion takes place, a catch-rod, 78, and belt-shifting shaft 74 and connecting mechanism adapted to operate the instant that rod 78 is disengaged by the raised pin in the forward movement of the block.

7. The guide block having a recess for blanks, a plunger having a slot, 68, for forcing them out singly, and a plate, 80, secured to the block and provided with a hole, 79, in combination with a rod which passes through said hole and engages the plate, belt-shifting mechanism connected to said rod, and a pin, 66, having an incline, 67, which engages the slot in the plunger, but rides out so that the pin is raised when the plunger is obstructed, whereby the rod is disengaged and the belt-shifting mechanism acts to stop the machine.

' ,8. The belt-shifting mechanism and rod 78, passing through a hole in plate 80 and engaging said plate, in combination with a plunger for feeding the blanks singly, which is provided with a slot, 68, a reciprocating block by which the plunger is carried, and a pin having an incline engaging said slot, but adapted to slide out and ride upon the plunger when its movement is obstructed, so that the pin is raised and disengages rod 78 in the forwardmovement of the block, substantially as destopped after the last blank enters the guideblock.

10. The guide-block having a recess, 4", for the blanks and a recess, 88, in its under side,

in combination with a plate, 85, upon which the lowest blank rests, and a rod, '86, connected thereto, whereby said plate may be .d rawn back, allowing the lowest blanks to drop down, and when pushed forward again will force these blanks forward out of the way.

11. The guide-blocks having a recess to receive the blanks, and guide-rods 4, by which a stack of blanks are held, in combination with a plate, 85, upon which the blanks rest, a plunger, 5, moving over said plate to expel the blanks singly, and a rod for withdrawing plate 85, allowing the blanks to drop down should the movement of the plunger be ob structed.

12. In a machine for making sheet-metal chain, two formers having grooves which incline toward each other from back to front, in combination with a mandrel which tapers slightly toward the top, and operating mech- ICO anism whereby said mandrel is caused to rise behind each blank and carry it forward between the formers, bending it around the man drel, then dropped until the tapered portion is within the loop of the link which is held by the grooves in the formers, and then moved forward again, carrying the, link forward again between the formers and giving it a permanent set. a

13. In a machine for making sheet -metal chain, the formers having grooves which taper inward toward each other from back to front, are made wide enough to receive the loop of the link, and of slightly less depth than the thickness of the blank, in combination with a mandrel having vertical and horizontal movements between said formers, the link being carried through and formed and contracted by said formers and mandrel during the horizontal movements of the latter, and held by said grooves when the mandrel moves downward.

14. The formers having grooves which taper inward toward each other from back to front,

eyes of the link just formed, and dies which shape the new blank so that it becomes perfectly formed when acted on by the mandrel and formers.

15. The combination, with the feeding mech anism, the formers,and the mandrel, of alower die which passes under each blank after it is fed forward, and an upper die which descends upon it, whereby said blank is shaped ready to be formed by the mandrel and the formers.

16. A plunger for feeding the blanks, the formers, and a guide, 15, which holds the blank in place, in combination with a lower die which passes under the blank and has a finger to hold it in place, and an upper die adapted to be closed down upon the blank and having a slot to receive the finger.

17. The feeding mechanism whereby the blanks are fed forward and the dies whereby they are shaped, in combination with formers having inclined grooves 36,and teats 14*, where by the blanks are centrally adjusted, and mandrel 34, whereby the blanks are carried forward between the formers and doubled back upon themselves.

18. In a machine for making sheet-metal chain, the combination, with shapingdies, of formers having grooves 36, which incline inward toward each other, a tapered mandrel, 34, a reciprocating slide by which said mandrel is carried, and a bell-crank lever whereby said mandrel is moved upward and held while the slide moves forward to bend the blank around the mandrel, then is moved downward so that the tapered portion lies within the loop of the link and is held while the slide moves forward again to set the link between the inclines of the formers, and then is moved down and backward ready to engage the next blank.

19. The shaping-dies and the formers, in combination with a tapered mandrel, an in termittently-reciproeating slide, whereby said mandrel is carried, and a bell-crank lever, whereby intermittent vertical reciprocatory motion is imparted tosaid mandrel, as and for the purpose set forth.

20. The combination, with formers 14, of a mandrel having a groove, 35, adapted to receive the rear end of each completed link, and operating mechanism, substantially as described, whereby each blank is carried forward between the formers and doubled back nponitself around the mandrel.

21. The combination, with the formers and the mandrel, of an intermittent]y-reciprocating slide having an opening, 43, to receive the mandrel, and bell-crank lever 49, carrying a sliding block and spring which support the mandrel and impart the necessary vertical movements thereto.

22. The formers and the mandrel, in combination with slide 39, bell-crank lever 49, and sliding block 53, by which the movements are imparted to the mandrel, and a bracket, 55, above the slide, whereby the upper end of the mandrel is supported.

23. The formers, mandrel, andslide39, bellcrank lever 49, and sliding block 53, by which the movements are imparted to the mandrel, in combination with bracket 55, having slot 56, and a centering-dog, 57, pivoted in said slot, and having lips which engage the opposite sidcs of each link to hold it central as it moves forward.

24. The mandrel and formers, in combination with slide 39, having an opening, 61, through which the completed chain passes, and a slot, 43, to receive the mandrel, and bracket 55, having a slot, 56, the forward end of which corresponds in shape with the mandrel and supports the same in use, bell-crank lever 49, and sliding block 53, by which the vertical movements are imparted to the mandrel.

25. The mandrel and formers, in combination with slide 39, bracket 55, and a spring, 54, by which the mandrel is supported, said spring being carried by a sliding block upon the arm49" of bell-crank lever 49 and adapted to yield should the upward movement of the mandrel be obstructed.

26. The mandrel, slide 39, bell-crank lever 49, and sliding block 53, by which the movements are imparted to the mandrel, in combination with the formers having inclined grooves by which the blanks are bent around the mandrel and in which they are held when the mandrel drops down.

27. The mandrel and formers, in combination with slide 39, bracket 55, centering-dog 57, having lips 58 and spring 59, and bellcrank lever 49, carrying a sliding block and spring by which the mandrel is supported.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD A. BREUL.

Witnesses:

A. M. WoosTnR, G. E. RUGGLES. 

